Neither rain, nor sleet, nor dark of night may stay United States Postal Service couriers from swift completion of their appointed rounds … but COVID-19 puts a cramp in them and everyone else. I can vouch, having gotten the beast.…
Columns
Nature Rambles | An Ancient Song
by Mike Miller • • Comments Off on Nature Rambles | An Ancient Song
The first time I became acquainted with a Sandhill Crane was 40 years ago canoeing in northern Minnesota. They had a nest on the ground, at the edge of the marsh, built from cattail and other vegetation. Their rattling-bugle call…
Inland Art | Leslie Bellavance
by Paul Krainak • • Comments Off on Inland Art | Leslie Bellavance
Leslie Bellavance was an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a member of West Hubbard Gallery, and a contributor to and regional editor of the New Art Examiner when I first met her in 1982. She was a recent…
Art: What is it Good For? | Supreme Good is Like Water
by Doug and Eileen Leunig • • Comments Off on Art: What is it Good For? | Supreme Good is Like Water
What can’t you live without that you rarely think about? The answer is water. We rarely give water any concern because it is something that works quite well being taken care of by professionals like Illinois American Water Company. When…
Reflections from an Existential Lens | Religion, Secularism, and the Meaning of Life, Part II
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Reflections from an Existential Lens | Religion, Secularism, and the Meaning of Life, Part II
Some years ago a Christian friend asked me what “the religious experience” is. He had visited various churches and worship groups and was puzzled by what he found. Practice seemed disconnected from theology, and even the practice didn’t seem consistent.…
Reflections From The Clergy | Be That Helping Hand In Society
by Community Word Staff • • Comments Off on Reflections From The Clergy | Be That Helping Hand In Society
In order for society to function, we as a community need to work together in all facets of life. Having the ability to be that helping hand for one and all brings balance and stability to a community and its…
Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Paul Hawken’s Drawdown Fellows and the 80 Ways to Cut Your Carbon
by William Rau • • Comments Off on Heat Waves — In Red and Black | Paul Hawken’s Drawdown Fellows and the 80 Ways to Cut Your Carbon
My last three columns highlighted a federal, dividend-based carbon tax. This policy would often amplify complementary local, state and international policies. State governments, for example, can capitalize on a dividend-based carbon tax by expanding renewable energy production, electrifying transportation, increasing…
Serendipity | Finding Inspiration
by Sandra Dempsey Post • • Comments Off on Serendipity | Finding Inspiration
List making, note taking, journaling, card sending, and frequent reading of profound sayings or devotions are enjoyable for me. List making has become an absolute necessity. I can sing multiple verses of songs from the ’60s, but if I need…
The Lion’s Den | Is this America?
by Daniel McCloud • • Comments Off on The Lion’s Den | Is this America?
Following the siege at the nation’s Capitol, many were left to ponder the question, is this America? For many, their race, ethnicity, culture and political beliefs determined the answer. America has always been a tale of two countries. There has…
Straight Talk | Bad judgment
by Roger Monroe • • Comments Off on Straight Talk | Bad judgment
A dispute between Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood and the Peoria Fire Department became a public debate, and it was entirely unnecessary. News releases from Harwood and the Fire Department described a garage fire at 1928 S. Stanley that claimed…